For the Love of a Daughter
by LoveLikeYou'reNotBroken
Summary: "And there's the stomp and cry." Missing scene in 6x15 when Jackie runs off and Hyde follows.


"And there's the stomp and cry. See you guys tomorrow." Hyde grumbled, before turning and walking to the Pinciotti's side door. There were a million things he'd rather do than listen to his shrill-voiced girlfriend cry for a considerably long amount of time, but the little midget had him more worried than he'd ever admit.

She didn't break down in front of Pam, but her comebacks didn't have the usual Jackie bitchiness they had all grown used to. He could see the fight in his girl deflate more every second Pam opened her ditzy mouth.

Taking the stairs two at a time, he made his way to Donna's bedroom door. He couldn't hear anything, no sobs, no loud bangs of things being thrown, no music blaring through the house.

He pushed the closed door open slowly, and stepped into the room. Everything was in place, nothing broken or thrown, which didn't do anything to calm Hyde. An upset Jackie was a violent Jackie. And if the room was left untouched, she must have been more upset than he originally thought.

He took a few more steps in, and glanced around not seeing her small frame. He turned to try another room when he saw her leaning against the closet, her forehead pressed onto the door, hands flat on the either side of her head. Her eyes were closed and she was breathing heavy. There were no tears on her face, but Hyde could tell by the way her small body was shaking that it wouldn't take much for them to start falling.

He didn't know if she was choosing to ignore him, or was so out of it she hadn't heard him enter the room.

"Jackie," he said softly, and the way her head snapped around to look at him gave him his answer.

She turned around but didn't move any closer to where he was in the middle of the room, just leaned her back on the door with her arms crossed over her chest.

Her face betrayed no emotion, not her usual bitch face, but the zen face she'd recently mastered. Her eyes were glassy though, and Hyde could tell she was pushing back tears with all her might. He didn't know how to feel about that.

For years now Hyde had been trying to teach her how to be zen. Despite his refusal to admit it, he and Jackie were in the same situation. Both had been dealt with shit parents and were now living with their best friend hoping to get any ounce of family they can. He knows how much it sucks, but he also knows that the more Jackie breaks down and cries when Pam mistreats her, the more it's gonna hurt when Pam doesn't care and leaves again.

"Don't Steven," she whispered, voice surprisingly steady, "I know what you're going to say, and just please don't." Behind the moisture in her eyes, was a coldness Hyde wasn't expecting. He walked backwards and sat on the edge of Donna's bed, giving her the space he could tell she needed. He reached up and took his sunglasses off and lightly tossed them onto the table by the bed.

In all honesty, he's proud of his girl. Proud that she's able take care of herself in the terrible situations she's been finding herself in recently. Back from when Laurie was rubbing Kelso in Jackie's face every day, he wanted her to learn how to protect herself, to not let people be able to toy with her emotions, and to learn how to cope with it when they do.

He never wanted her to have to feel like she had to hide it from him, though.

"What do you think I'm gonna say, doll?" he whispered back, eyes never leaving her face.

She laughed humorlessly and he could have cringed at the sound. "You think I don't know what you came up here for? I get it, Steven, okay? Your mom left too and you've moved on just fine. You think I shouldn't cry over something so stupid. So go ahead and say it, I'm a pathetic, spoiled, needy mess who needs everyone to love her."

Her voice was mocking and bitter, but he's seen Jackie this way before. Once the anger runs out, once the fight gets tired, she'll break down. Hyde doesn't know which one is worse.

"I get it, okay? What do I have to be upset about, right?" She continued with her voice more shaky than before. She steps away from the closet and starts pacing, hands pulling at her hair. "So what if my mom hates me? There are worse things in this world. I'm still a spoiled, popular, bitchy rich girl, so what if my mother would rather fuck strangers than be home with her own kid?"

She starts shaking her head like she's refusing to let the tears fall, but the wetness in her eyes grows more evident, though none of it has spilled over, and she blinks furiously. She starts again, her breathing uneven, and he can hear the tears in her voice.

"I really don't need you to tell me what's wrong with me, Steven. Because I know, okay? I know I'm pathetic and I know I'm not worth anything. If I was, my mother would have never left. So save yourself the trouble and walk out now before you feel obligated into staying."

He's up before she finishes her last sentence. He wraps his arms around her, holding her tight against his chest, he could tell she was going to keep talking but he doesn't care. He can't sit there and listen to her destroy herself. Rarely ever does Jackie Burkhart let insecurity take her over, but when she does it could eat her alive.

Her breathing becomes shallow and she's seconds away from hyperventilation, one arm tightens around her and the other rubs her back soothingly. He can feel her tears through his thin shirt and after a little more hesitation her thin arms wrap themselves around his waist, holding him just as tight.

Her cries are silent for the most part, her breathing louder than her actual sobs. He waits until her breathing is a little more stable and he's not worried she's going to choke on her own oxygen before bending down slightly to lift her into his arms.

He walks over to Donna's bed before carefully maneuvering himself towards the center with her still in his arms. He lays her down on the bed and pulls her tight against him after lying down next to her. His head is on Donna's pillow and her head is on arm.

Her tears are still coming, slower now than before and he lets out a silent breath of relief. There is nothing he hates more than watching Jackie cry.

Her grip loosens ever so slightly and he knows she's done for now. His arms stay tight around her and she buries her face in his neck.

He leans down and puts his lips at her ear, "I don't think any of that stuff, doll. Pam fucked you over just like Edna fucked me. If you wanna curse her out and tell her off and then come back here with me and let it out, go ahead. I'm here for ya, doll. Because I know it sucks. You're so far from pathetic, Jackie. There's nothing wrong with you. Don't say you're not worth anything just because you're mother's an idiot." He felt her lips curve into a smile on his neck and his lips turned into one to match. "Our mom's aren't worth shit, Jacks. But we got each other and we got Mrs. Forman so we'll be just fine."

She laughed softly and his smile grew, she pulled back enough to see his face. "Yeah, Mrs. Forman is kinda like the best mom ever."

He laughed in response and kissed her nose, "Yeah, she's hard to beat."

Jackie leaned up and pressed her lips to his. It wasn't a steamy make-out session like the ones that started their relationship, it short and sweet.

Pulling away, she put her forehead on his. "Thank you, Puddin' Pop." She whispered, her lips brushing his.

He gave her a chaste peck, "Anything for you, doll." He whispered back. "I love you."

The small shock she had in hearing him say it first caused her eyes to pop open. Her lips curved into a smile, "I love you, too."

His grin widened and he sat up, holding onto her hand. "C'mon, let's go trash Pam with Mrs. Forman. She'll cook whatever you want."

Giggling, she followed him out of the room, her arm around his waist, his around her shoulder and together they walked to their real home, with their real family.

**A/N: haven't written for them in a while, but I've been watching a lot of episodes lately so it inspired me.**

**Please review!**


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